206 
August  28,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OK  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
calities  in  a  manner  which  proves  liis  wide  knowledge  and  love 
of  the  art. 
Different  species  of  Roses  are  mentioned  by  tbe  poet  more  fre¬ 
quently  tlian  any  other  flower.  Two  are  referred  to  in  that 
well-known  speech  of  Oberon,  in  the  “  Midsummer  Night’s 
Dream,”  act  ii.  scene  ii.  :  — 
I  know  a  bank  whereon  the  wild  Thyme  blows, 
Where  Oxlips,  hud  the  nodding  Violet  grows, 
Quite  drer-eaitopied  with  luscious  Woodbine, 
With  sweet  Afusk  Roses,  and  with  Eglantine. 
There  sleeps  Titania,  some  time  of  the  night, 
Lull'd  in  them  flowers  with  dances  of  deight. 
What  a  picture  of  sylvan  beauty  have  we  here!  It  is  a  portrait 
drawn  to  perfection  ;  a  bower  meet  indeed  for  a  fairy  queen.  As 
we  read,  we  almost  fancy  we  smell  the  commingled  perfumes  of 
the  dewy  Woodbine  and  Roses,  wafted  on  the  gentle  zephyrs  of 
the  midsummer  night.  On  two  most  important  historical  occa¬ 
sions  Shakespeare  introduces  the  Rose  finely.  In  “  Richard  III.,” 
act  iv.,  scene  iii. ,  speaking  of  the  murdered  princes  in  the  Tower, 
Tyrrel  says  they  were  : 
Girdling  one  another 
Within  their  alabaster  innocent  arms. 
Their  lips  were  four  red  Roses  on  a  stalk. 
Which  in  their  simmer  beauty  kissed  each  other. 
The  other  place  I  refer  to  is  the  first  part  of  “  Henry  VI.,”  act  ii., 
scene  iv.  It  is  the  quarrel  scene  in  the  Temple  Gardens,  from 
which  sprang  the  terrible  Wars  of  the  Roses.  Richard  Plan- 
tagenet,  Warwick,  and  Vernon  have  each  plucked  a  white  Rose, 
while  Somerset  and  Suffolk  have  taken  red  ones.  Then  follows 
a  dialogue  of  witty  sarcasm,  raillery,  and  defiance,  the  Rose  serv¬ 
ing  the  purpose  both  of  sword  and  shield  in  the  war  of  words.  I 
quote  the  following  as  an  example  : 
Somerset: 
Prick  not  your  fingers  as  you  pluck  it  off, 
Lest,  bleeding,  you  do  paint  the  white  Ko-e  red, 
And  fall  on  my  side  so,  against  your  will. 
Vernon : 
If  I,  my  Lord,  for  my  opinion  bleed, 
Opinion  shall  be  surgeon  to  my  hurt, 
And  keep  me  on  the  side  where  still  Ifam. 
****** 
Plantagenet  : 
Meanwhile,  your  cheeks  do  counterfeit  our  Rosis, 
For  pale  they  look  with  fear,  as  witnessing 
The  truth  on  our  side. 
The  Violet  is  mentioned  many  times,  space  forbidding  more 
than  one  example.  “  Twelfth  Night,”  act  i.,  scene  i.  : 
That  strain  again ;  it  had  a  dying  fall. 
Oh,  it  came  o’er  my  ear  like  the  sweet  south 
That  breathes  upon  a  bank  of  Violets, 
Stealing  and  giving  odour. 
The  Lily  is  often  used  as  an  example  of  whiteness  and  purity. 
"Midsummer  Night’s  Dream,”  act  iii.,  scene  i.  :  “Most  radiant 
Pyramus,  most  lily-white  of  hue.”  “  Love’s  Labour  Lost,”  act  v., 
scene  ii.  :  “  Pure  as  the  unsullied  Lily.”  In  the  “  Winter’s  Tale,” 
Autolycus  sings  of  Daffodils,  and  in  “  Cymbeline,”  Arviragus 
speaks  of  the  “  pale  Primrose”  and  the  “  azured  Harebell.” 
We  will  now  notice  a  few  of  the  fruits  and  vegetables  intro¬ 
duced.  In  “Midsummer  Night’s  Dream,”  act  iii.,  scene  i . , . the 
fairy  queen  says  :  “  Feed  him  .  .  .  with  purple  Grapes,  green  Figs, 
and  Mulberries.”  The  “Merry  Wives  of  Windsor”  has:  “I  will 
dance  and  eat  Plums  at  your  wedding.”  Shallow,  in  second  part 
of  “  Henry  IV.,”  inviting  Sir  John  Falstaff  into  his  orchard,  says : 
"  We  will  eat  a  last  year’s  Pippin  of  my  own  grafting.” 
Shakespeare  introduces  the  enemies  of  the  garden  with  good 
effect.  How  admirable  is  the  simile  in  “Romeo  and  Juliet,” 
act  iv.,  scene  v.  : 
Death  lies  on  her  like  an  untimely  frost 
Upon  the  sweetest  flower  of  all  the  field. 
Also  that  in  “Henry  VIII.,”  where  Wolsey  soliloquises  on  his 
fall : 
This  is  the  state  of  man';  to-day  he  puts  forth 
The  tender  leaves  of  hope;  to-morrow  blossoirs. 
And  bears  his  blushing  honours  thick  upon  him  ; 
The  third  day  comes  a  frost,  a  killing  frost, 
And  .  ,  .  .  . 
.  .  .  .  nips  his  rcot, 
And  then  he  falls,  as  1  do. 
Hamlet,  grown  weary  of  life  exclaims  : 
Fie  on’t !  O,  fie  !  ’ tis  an  uuweeded  garden 
That  grows  to  see  1  ;  things  rauk  and  gross  in  nature 
Possess  it  merely. 
In  “  Richard  III.,”  act  iii.,  scene  i.,  we  read  :  “  Idle  weeds  are 
fast  in  growth.”  Thus  examples  might  be  'quoted  indefinitely. 
In  “  Henry  V.,”  act  ii..  scene  iv.,  Shakespeare  speaks  directly  of 
“gardeners,”  and  in  “Richard  II.,”  act  iii.,  scene  iv.,  a  smaH‘but 
characteristic  part  is  written  for  a  gardener. 
The  young  gardener  should  therefore  regard  Shakespeare,  not 
as  a  great  genius  whose  works  he  dare  not  attempt  to  grapple 
with,  but  as  a  man  whose  thoughts  and  ideas  of  beauty,  together 
with  an  inborn  love  of  the  garden,  run  parallel  with  his*  own. 
Then  if  a  sympathy  can  be  established  with  Shakespeare’s  inimit¬ 
able  manner  of  writing,  the  student  will  become  more  and  more 
engrossed,  and  thus  gain  a  familiarity  with  Shakespearean 
sublimities  in  their  many  forms ;  and  familiarity  with  these  can¬ 
not  but  tend  to  improvement,  both  morally  and  intellectually  — • 
Joseph  E.  Simms,  Arilc  Gardens,  Chelford.' 
Societies. 
Shropshire  Horticultural,  August  20th  and  21st. 
Non-Competitive  Exhibits. 
Mr.  J.  H.  White,  Nurseries,  Worcester,  arranged  an  exten¬ 
sive  display  of  hardy  flowers  and  foliage,  the  exhibit  being  well 
displayed. 
Mr.  A.  Meyers,  Shrewsbury,  had  Zonal  Pelargoniums,  ar¬ 
ranged  in  crescents  and  in  tubes,  resembling  great  bouquets,  with 
Eulalia,  Gypsophila,  Ac.,  more  beautiful  in  effect  than  we  have 
ever  seen  this  flower  put  together  before. 
From  Messrs.  W.  and  J.  Brown,  of  Stamford,  Peterborough, 
Grantham,  and  Oundle,  came  grouplets  of  choice  greenhouse  and 
hardy  flowers.  Heliotrope  Lord  Roberts  is  dwarf,  and  has 
massive  flowerheads ;  Pelargonium  Fire  Dragon  is  now  well 
known,  and  ^alanchoe  flammea  as  well.  They  had  also  Carna¬ 
tions,  Phloxes,  and  Roses. 
Mr.  J.  Russell,  Richmond,  also  arranged  a  group  of  choice 
foliage  plants,  which  were  rather  too  crowded,  no  doubt  owing 
to  lack  of  room.  Dracaenas,  Crotons,  Alocasias,  Aralias,  and 
similar  plants  were  chiefly  employed,  making  a  very  bright  mass 
of  colouring. 
Messrs.  Pritchard  and  Sons,  Shrewsbury,  presented  a  novel 
exhibit  of  Davallias  trained  in  all  sorts  of  fantastic  shapes;  also 
a  number  of  Larches  trained  as  cranes,  tortoises,  &c.  They 
presented  a  striking  appearance  in  the  groundwork  of  small 
Ferns. 
Messrs.  Smith  and  Co.,  Worcester,  presented  a  very  large 
group  of  plants  and  cut  flowers.  The  Palms  and  Bamboos 
forming  the  background  were  attractive,  while  the  masses  of 
cut  flowers  were  effective  in  their  bed  of  greenery.  A  good 
collection  of  Phloxes  and  Gladioli  were  also'  noticed. 
R.H.S.  of  Perthshire. 
The  annual  exhibition  of  fruit,  flowers  and  vegetables,  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  of  Perthshire, 
was  held  in  large  marquees  erected  on  the  North  Inch  (one  of 
Perth’s  public  parks),  on  August  21.  22  and  23.  This  society  is 
one  of  the  oldest,  if  not  the  oldest  Horticultural  Society  in 
Scotland,  having  been  established  so  long  ago  as  1805  [and 
Stirling  PJ,  and  has.  during  the  long  period  of  its  existence  done 
a  vast  amount  of  good  work,  and  at  the  same  time  it  has  passed 
through  many  viscissitudes,  sometimes  enjoying  prosperity,  and 
sometimes  not.  At  the  present  time  it  seems  to  be  like  the 
proverbial  eagle,  renewing  its  youth  and  soaring  high.  With  a 
hard-working,  courteous  secretary,  and  an  enthusiastic  board 
of  directors  managing  its  affairs,  a  marked  improvement  has 
been  observable  in  the  annual  shows  during  the  past  few  years. 
Despite  the  unfavourable  character  of  the  season  experienced 
in  this  district,  the  show  this  year  was  of  a  highly  satisfactory 
nature,  the  display  from  an  artistic  standpoint  being  perhaps 
much  finer  than  on  any  occasion  for  a  number  of  years  back. 
At  the  entrance  to  the  first  marquee  were  displayed  the 
bouquets,  sprays  and  wreaths  from  florists,  Ac.,  and  these  made 
a  magnificent  and  attractive  exhibit.  Miss  B.  C.  Kidd,  florist. 
New  Scott  Street,  Perth,  carried  everything  before  her,  show¬ 
ing  a  very  handsome  shower  bouquet  composed  chiefly  of 
Eucharis  and  White  Lilies  with  long  sprays  of  Asparagus.  Her 
ladies’  sprays  were  greatly  admired,  special  notice  being  taken 
cf  one  composed  of  beautiful  Lily  of  the  Valley,  of  snowy  purity. 
The  other  prizetakers  in  this  section  were  Miss  Harris,  Messrs. 
Wm.  Farquharson,  and  Wm.  Brown  all  showing  beautifully. 
Taken  all  over,  this  was  perhaps  the  strongest  exhibit  in  this 
class  that  has  been  seen  for  years. 
For  the  best  display  of  cut  flowers  and  foliage,  four  com¬ 
petitors  entered.  The  judges  awarded  the  premier  ticket  to 
Mr.  Wm.  Lowe,  gardener  to  James  Ramsay,  Esq.,  Balhousie 
Castle;  second,  Mr.  John  Leslie,  gardener  to  Mrs.  Coates, 
Pitcullin  ;  Mrs.  McKendrick,  Burnbank  Terrace,  securing  third. 
Only  one  group  of  plants  was  set  up;  this  came  from  Pitcullin, 
and  was  bright  with  highly  coloured  -Crotons  and  Dracaenas, 
interspersed  with  Palms,  Schizanthus,  Ac.  Table  plants,  10ft  by 
5ft,  brought  out  three  competitors ;  here  again  Mr.  Leslie 
scored  an  easy  victory.  Mr.  J.  Margach,  gardener  to  P.  W. 
Campbell,  Esq.,  Murtonbank,  was  second,  and  Mr.  Lowe,  Bal¬ 
housie  Castle,  third.  Specimen  plants  were  only  very  mode¬ 
rately  shown,  Messrs.  Leslie  and  Margach  being  the  principal 
winners. 
In  the  cut  flower  department  there  was  a  wonderfully  bright 
display,  considering  the  unpropitious  season,  and  in  some  sec¬ 
tions  competition  was  very  keen.  Sweet  Peas  were  magnificent, 
those  staged  by  Mr.  Kennedy,  Moness  Gardens,  Aberfeldy, 
which  won  him  the  medal,  were  exceptionally  fine.  Roses  were 
much  finer  than  they  are  usually  seen  at  this  date.  Mr.  Harper’s 
stand  was  first-class,  not  a  faulty  blo-cm  being  among  them. 
Pelargoniums,  wrongly  named  Geraniums,  were  a  strong  class, 
there,  being  no  fewer  than  eight  entries.  The  first  prize  was 
